No Man is an Island
by the ordinary magician
Summary: This story is my take on what could happen in Arrow 6x1. I may expand to include more of the next season. Spoilers for 5x23. Eventual Olicity.
1. Chapter 1

_No man is an island,_

 _Entire of itself;_

 _Every man is a piece of the continent,_

 _A part of the main._

 _~John Donne, 1624_

Oliver Queen watched in horror as the island of Lian Yu burst into hundreds of explosions. When he blinked, his vision cleared and his cheeks felt wet. He still held onto his son tightly, the only thing that made this feel - stomach-churningly - real. Oliver had known loss before. He was well acquainted with the shock and guilt that followed his father's suicide and his best friend's death, the blinding rage that followed his mother's, Sara's, and Laurel's murders. This, however, was entirely different. Everything inside him, all of the warmth and life, was suddenly sucked away. His head was light and his body was cold. For a moment, he was suspended – hanging in space, in nothingness.

"Mom?" came William's small voice. Oliver broke. He fell to his knees in front of his son and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so sorry," Oliver sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He repeated the words in a whisper, smoothing the hair on the back on William's head. It's as much a reassuring action for himself as it is for William. He felt the shakes of his son's grief. God, this wasn't fair.

A dying ember struck Oliver's hand, but he barely registered the pain. He did, however, register the danger, for William's sake. Almost in response, the small boat rocked more roughly from the shock waves. Oliver stood, instincts and adrenaline kicking in. Protect. Survive.

"Brace yourself," he told William, his voice low. The boy complied numbly, hunkering down in the corner of the boat with a hand on each side.

Oliver turned to the body of Adrian Chase, and rage flared inside of him. Gritting his teeth, he hefted the body over the side of the boat. It tipped toward the opposite side in reaction and it swayed dangerously, but Oliver kept steady as he watched his adversary sink into the dark water. 'Good riddance' didn't come close to the words he wanted to use, the emotions he felt. But there was no time for that. His only goal now was making sure that little boy who shared his eyes was safe.

He ushered William into the boat's cabin, lifting him over the puddle of blood at the door. The boy looked sick. Oliver was quick to shut the door behind them.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly, placing a hand on his son's back and leading him to the small seat in the corner. But of course he wasn't all right. Oliver wasn't sure either of them would be all right again.

To his credit, William gave a slight nod. His face was pale and tears streaked down his cheeks, but he looked less likely to vomit. Oliver had to turn his attention away; they had to get out of here before the growing waves capsized the boat or run them aground.

Thankfully, the keys were still in the ignition. Oliver was suddenly thankful he had learned to sail during his 'time away.' He set a course to get out of danger and sent out an SOS. After five years, he was right back to where it all started.

 _Fifteen Minutes Earlier_

Felicity Smoak's eyes were wide as she looked around at the others. Diggle, Curtis, Renee, Dinah, Lance, Thea, Slade, and Samantha were gathered around her, expecting her to Science their way of this mess. But she wasn't an aviation mechanic, nor able to defuse hundreds of bombs simultaneously. The only time she felt more helpless was when she had to decide where to reroute that missile to last year. Frak it, this is what her life had become? "If Oliver kills Prometheus," she whispered, "There's no way we're making it out of this alive."

"But he's not gonna do that, right," Lance said, punctuating his words. "He's different now, changed. Done with killin'."

"People don't change, Hoss," Renee said, taking an almost threatening step toward him, so that their chests were almost touching. "Not enough to stake our lives on."

Diggle opened his mouth to argue, but Slade interrupted him. "Look, the kid is right," he said in his thick Australian accent. Everyone turned to look at him. "But I have a plan, but we have to move fast."

"Why the hell should we trust you, you murderous son of a bitch!" Thea spat. Her glare was pure venom. There was a moment of uproar among the group, with heated voiced that threatened to break out into something more physical. The effect desperation and survival instinct had on people.

Felicity stood up, holding her hands out in a defensive position in the middle of the group. "Hold on! All we're doing is wasting time we don't have!" she shouted. And they knew that, which is why they drew back so quickly. A few, especially Curtis, even looked guilty. "Now," Felicity continued, "I don't like it much either, but Slade is the only one who seems to have a plan right now, so let's hear him out." She fixed her gaze on the former villain. "And quickly."

He complied. "The _prison_ Oliver locked me in. It's Argus made, can withstand a nuclear bomb, probably. It's our only shot." There was a pause as everyone considered this, considered trusting him. "Look, I want to live as much as you all do," he added. "We haven't much time to spare."

Felicity looked at Diggle, and he nodded, uncrossing his arms. "Let's go," he said.

"Let's go!" Slade shouted. He was at the top of the bunker, holding it open as everyone ran to catch up and get inside. Curtis was the first one to the top, and he slid down the ladder with what sounding like a rough landing at the bottom. Renee and Thea were helping Lance along, despite his protests. Felicity shuddered to think of what would happen out here if his heart gave out. None of them were medical personnel, and even if they were…

Beside her, Samantha tripped over a rock and Felicity quickly steadied her. Samantha gave a short nod of thanks before they hurried to catch up. As Diggle disappeared into bunker, leaving only Samantha, Slade, and Felicity left.

"Come on!" Slade roared, and Felicity ran faster. There was a sharp cramp on her left side and her lungs burned. Frak, she should not have skipped all those workouts. She made it to the top of the bunker, _finally_ , and suddenly noticed that Samantha was no longer beside her. She turned to see the other woman standing still, further away than she should be.

"What are you doing? We need to go now!" Felicity called to her.

"No." Samantha's voice came back as she shook her head. "I can't! William is still out there!"

Felicity's heart sank. William, Oliver's son. Prometheus told Oliver that he had killed him. But William might not even be on the island. "You HAVE to COME! PLEASE!" Felicity shouted. Her eyes stung. "We'll – we'll figure it out! Oliver will –"

"Oliver isn't here!" Samantha yelled back. "I'm not leaving my son! I'm not leaving my baby." Even from here, Felicity could see the tears in the mother's eyes, the desperation in her face.

Then there was Diggle's arm on hers, pulling her toward the ladder. She hadn't even realized he'd come back up. "Felicity, you have to come now. We don't know how much longer we –"

Suddenly, there was an overwhelmingly loud bang and blinding light as one of the bombs exploded, then another, then another. The force of it threw Felicity back, slamming her into Diggle and the bunker door. Somehow, Diggle pulled her down the ladder before another closer explosion went off. Slade pulled the bunker door behind him, but Felicity barely heard the heavy metal clang. All she could hear was ringing in her ears, making everything almost eerily silent. She could see the others talking around her and Diggle, but their voices didn't reach her. Their concerned faces were the last thing she saw before she slipped off to nothingness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Oliver cast a glance over at William. The boy was staring absently out the airplane window as they rose higher above the clouds. His face was blank, emotionless – in a way that concerned Oliver even more than the previous bouts of tears.

Their SOS call had been met by a Chinese fishing boat, ironically enough. It had ferried them to Hong Kong, and Oliver had the worst case of déjà vu because of it. However, he was able to get into contact with a team of ARGUS agents who then connected him to Lyla Diggle. After a very difficult conversation, she had arranged to send a plane to bring Oliver and William back to Star City. That brought them to the present, as the light of early dawn peeked through the clouds below them. Oliver sighed raggedly, his eyes heavy. William must be exhausted.

"You should try to get some sleep," Oliver said, gently. "It's a long flight."

"Can't sleep," William mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. The ARGUS agent sitting across from them glanced over, but a glare from Oliver sent him back to his own business.

Oliver turned toward William but didn't say anything. For one thing, he wasn't sure what to say. He barely knew him, and he wasn't sure what comfort or hope he could give when his own world had come grinding to a halt. But he sure as hell knew that he wasn't going to let William go through this alone. Oliver was too well acquainted with the effects of that to let it happen to his own son.

The silence seemed to weigh on William, and he expanded, "I keep seeing the fire." His voice was so low Oliver almost didn't hear him, which was saying something. William dared a glance up at him.

Oliver took a deep breath. "Me too, buddy," he said.

"Mr. González calls me buddy," William said.

Oliver blinked. It was the first time that William had talked about himself, his life, anything besides – well, everything that had happened. Oliver's mind fought to catch up with the sudden change.

"He's my coach," William explained. "I just started this season, after we moved."

Oliver pushed away the pang of guilt. "What sport do you play?"

"Baseball," William said definitely. "It's the best one." He said it with such conviction.

"Agreed. You know, I used to play baseball when I was about your age, too."

"Really?" William considered this for a moment. "So, you're the Green Arrow."

Again, the sudden change in conversation. "Yes," he replied carefully.

His son nodded. "And you're my dad." He tried to say it nonchalantly, but Oliver could tell how much was riding on this statement that seemed almost like a question. No pressure.

"Yes I am. I didn't know you were born until recently, when I saw you and your mom in Central City. Then – remember when you were kidnapped, and the Green Arrow saved you?"

William nodded. "That was when the Green Arrow became my favorite instead of the Flash."

"Well, then I asked your mom to take you far away so that you would be safe…" Oliver trailed off, knowing how terribly wrong he had been. "I don't really know how to be a dad yet, William, but I'd like to try." He waited with bated breath, suddenly worried that he had rushed this.

"Okay," William said finally. He leaned back in the airplane seat, chewing the inside of his cheek.

Oliver leaned back in his own seat, quietly releasing a long breath. He had no idea what he was doing – the boy just lost his mother, he certainly didn't want to hear explanations and promises from his uninvolved (albeit not by choice) father. Oliver had a feeling the learning curve to parenthood would be a steep one, especially without… The sick feeling appeared in the pit of his stomach again, and he forced his mind away from the grief. Nevertheless, they came, haunting him: Thea, his baby sister whom he vowed to protect; Diggle, his friend who was more like a brother, his rock and voice of reason; Lance, the man who he would have never thought would become a friend, confidant, and father-figure to him; even the new recruits, full of so much _hope_. And Felicity… His chest tightened and his eyes stung. He squeezed his eyes closed, head thumping against the soft plane seat, but that only worsened matters. Because he saw her face. It was that smirk, the one she made whenever she did something that she thought was particularly clever. The one that had always sent feelings bubbling up inside him. Now, it just sent him plummeting further down...

Suddenly, he felt a weight against his left shoulder and his eyes flew open in alarm. But then he saw that William had fallen asleep, using Oliver's shoulder as a pillow. It was the first time he had slept since Lian Yu. Then something strange happened. Looking down at his son, sound asleep with already ruffled hair and an open mouth, Oliver smiled.

 _Meanwhile, on Lian Yu_

Felicity's head was pounding, and her body felt incredibly stiff. _I must have one hell of a hangover_ , came her first thought as she mentally prepared herself to open her eyes. When she blinked them open, she was confused to see a cement ceiling instead of her (admittedly much too dusty) ceiling fan. And – now soft voices were coming into focus. With a gasp, she sat up sharply.

"Hey, now, easy there," Diggle said, a solid hand on her back. "I think you have a concussion." Suddenly everything – Prometheus, the island, the blast – came back. They were in the cell of the ARGUS prison, and she was sitting on the bed, if it could be called that.

Felicity raised a hand to her forehead to find a cloth bandage there. Great Google, her head hurt. "Too bad we don't have any of those aspirins here," she mumbled. Diggle chuckled.

"Hey! You're awake!" Curtis exclaimed, standing in the doorway of the barred cell. He gestured to her head; specifically, her bandage. "Renee donated his shirt for that."

"You're welcome," Renee called from across the bunker.

Thea rolled her eyes. "He was more than eager to go shirtless."

"I ain't shirtless, just got a crop top," he said, clearly messing with her. Indeed, the bottom half of his shirt was torn off.

"Congratulations, you look like my daughter Sara when she turned fourteen," Lance said wryly.

"You should introduce us, Hoss," Renee rebutted.

Lance made a face. "You're not exactly her _type_ , if you know what I mean."

Felicity smiled. She wondered where – and when – Sara and her team were. A time ship would come in real handy right about now. Then she realized not everyone was here in the bunker. "Where are Slade and Dinah?" she asked, seeing who was gone.

"They're out searching the island, see if anything is left beyond the rubble," Diggle replied. "We've been taking turns, in teams."

"And? Anything?"

Diggle shook his head. "Nothing yet. It's just – wasteland."

"The Plane?"

"Completely destroyed."

Felicity sighed.

"Oh!" Curtis said, remembering something. He left the cell and returned quickly, holding a security camera. It was half taken apart, a little busted, with wire sticking out every which way. "These went dark after the blast, but I thought if we could get it back up and running, we could reroute the signal to your friends in ARGUS. It's not much, but it's a shot," he said with a shrug. "I haven't much luck so far, but together…" He handed the device to Felicity.

She turned it over in her hands, brain working overtime. Had she mentioned that her head hurt? Nevertheless, there was something here, and hope rose in her chest. She looked up at Curtis and Diggle. "Oh yeah, I can definitely work with this."


End file.
